Cherry Ong from Richmond, BC, Canada gets festive with holiday greens.
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"Here are some of my DIY holiday decor from 2015. Wreaths were hung in the front and back doors while the containers were gifts to friends."
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Comments
Cherry, your wreaths and containers are beautiful. Your friends are so lucky to get those awesome gifts from you. Anytime you want to add your GPOD friends to your holiday gift list, go right ahead. ?
Ha, ha. As soon as I saw Cherry's photos this morning, I thought exactly what you wrote. Great minds run in the same circles! Or, fools think alike. Take your choice. :-)
One or both do apply depending on the company. =)
I wish we were neighbors Kevin! Thanks for your kind words.
Cherry, what a delightful use of natural materials...beautiful bounty from your garden beds. They are a winter version of the concept of the Thanksgiving cornucopia.
Thanks Michaele. I am so grateful and appreciative for all the wonderful nurseries here where I derive inspiration and materials from. My garden has also matured moderately that I am able to take evergreen cuttings from it, though I wish more real estate so more shrubs to harvest from. I hope you are much better than when we last spoke and I wish you and Darwin a meaningful and peaceful holiday season! Take care.
Thank you for your holiday good wishes, Cherry. I coudn't help but go out and cut some greens for some basket decorating after seeing your pictures...you never fail to inspire!
I'm pretty much back to normal and even got my first post surgery haircut that hides most of the skin graft around my ear. Things aren't perfect looking but they aren't bad, either. I'm definitely counting my blessings.
Can't wait to see 'em. Glad you are mending nicely. Please keep us posted.
Hello Michaele,
I am horrified to learn you have been 'under the weather' and sincerely hope you are soon running around having a good time. My best to you.
Hi, Eddi, thanks for your concern. I had a large patch of basal cell carcinoma above my left ear that involved not only thorough removal but then a skin graft to fill in "the hole". All in all, not a fun thing but I'm glad it's over and grateful that I had a good outcome.
Dear Michaele,
I am very glad that such a dreadful occurrence turned into a positive outcome. I am sure that your own positive and gentle nature will have made that happen.
My own good wishes and thoughts go out to you, too.
Tennessee is probably inder a winter eiderdown right now and only enjoyed through the windows, like Ohio, but Spring will soon be with us and ambling around our beloved gardens will always restore our souls.
My very best to you and your family for Christmas and the New Year.
My sincerest return wishes for a Happy Holiday season for you and yours, Eddi. My part of TN is finally having some below freezing temps but no hint of snow cover. I did some hellebore grooming just the other day where I cut off some of the old, really tattered leaves so when the blooms start showing up in a month or so, they won't be covered over by the raggedy foliage. TN is pretty conducive for some winter gardening activity but, nowadays, my finger and knee joints appreciate a break.
I hadn't thought of removing foliage, in fact rather the opposite. My feelings were that if the leaves were left then they would protect the plant during our frigid months. Am turning into one of those mad old women who talk to trees and plants!
Keep warm and well.
I know just what you mean, Eddi. I have been of that mindset in years gone by. But this year I decided to experiment with some of the plants. I decided to do it early enough that the remaining leaves which are a fresher green color would have a chance to acclimate to the cold. Each plant still has a cluster of leaves which I hope will protect the stems and buds that should start showing up at the end of Jan. or in Feb. My biggest hope is that my early pruning won't prove to be a kiss of death to the ones that have been the subject of my experiment. Keep your fingers crossed!
Cherry, you are very creative and have a great eye. I know it's been said before but your use of color, line, form, texture, and structure are amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Cherry, you certainly do it right!
Happy holidays.
Gorgeous, Cherry.
I'm crazy about those containers! Lush and fresh.
Thanks Tim. Looking forward to this year's wreaths.... I am starting late but hope to get them done by the weekend. We have the added challenge of below zero weather these past two weeks. Wish me luck! I'm curious to see what your holiday greens and plantings are as well. Wishing you a meaningful and peaceful holiday season!
Wait. I was confused until I realized Canada uses Celcius, egocentric as I am! Below zero to me means below -18C!....That would have given me an entirely different perspective on Vancouver! I woke up to 8F/-13C this morning!
That's cold! The swtich from Metric to English when I cross the border is always confusing. It's been atypically cold for us here in Vancouver lately... my 2 succulents might not make it outside this winter. Gulp!
Cherry, Everyone of your wreaths & table displays is unique& beautiful. Ladies seem to have a built in sense for creativity with Christmas décor. I recently joined a garden club & they make & sell wreaths as their main fundraiser. I made one & compared it to theirs & immediately appointed myself the Gopher. Thank you for posting your beautiful creations
Merry Christmas ,Joe
That's great that you joined a garden club, Joe. Our garden club makes wreathes, too, but they are just used to decorate the town rec center and none of the men participate. At least you tried. Merry Christmas.
Linda joining a garden club was my daughter's suggestion & it has been interesting very rewarding..
Merry Christmas to you & your family
Gorgeous! You have quite the eye and design flair. Which is evidenced in the finished product. I am quite envious of your talent, skill and materials!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thank you for your compliment Lily. I blush. Wishing you a meaningful and fun filled Christmas with your loved ones!
Fabulous... It would serve one well to befriend you, Cherry. :)
Thank you. Got a lot to be thankful for - my friends help me out too especially when I need to get away - they take care of my garden for me. Works right? Wishing you a fun filled and fabulous holiday season!
Fantastic and creative decor, Cherry. Definitely making the holidays beautiful.
Thanks David. I can imagine how beautiful your garden is blanketed in snow. Please send us some pictures. Wishing you a fabulous and fun holiday season!
Cherry, your design work is always filled with so much joy. There is never a question that you love working with plants. BTW, you used 2 of my all time favorite fills in your first wreath... eucalyptus pods and incense cedar. I love them!
Thank you Sheila. I've been looking for incense cedar all over this year and none to be found. I guess I have to work with something else then but like you, I look forward to new materials. How are your migrants indoors this year? I would love to see. Wishing you and your beautiful family a wonderful and meaningful holiday season!
Dear friend... Never, ever stop challenging your vision. Your creations keep getting better and better. We have both come a long way since we first met on GPOD. The migrants are doing well, although they always do until Feb.! I was zealous in making my inventory less, and I succeeded! So far, so good!
Happy Holidays Cherry.
That must take a lot of strength to cut back on your inventory. I would totally fail in that regard. Now I'm even more curious to see the select lot.
This was the first year I have been really successful in cutting back, but I owe a lot to two major hailstorms when we were in Alaska when nothing could be covered, large or small. My succs took a big hit. It was also time to say goodbye to my big yucca, that $10 plant gave me 10 years of happiness plus it became about 11' tall with multi branches! Unfortunately it started suffering from a mildew a couple years ago and I wasn't able to bring it back to health ;( I also had to say goodbye to my beloved var. agave. I tried for 3 years to find it a new home since it needed to overwinter upstairs and Jim and Greg were going to kill me if I asked them to haul it up once again. (It also could not fit in the doorway anymore... my beauty was very happy! The hail beat it to hell, so... We kind of had a plant funeral around here.
Beautiful Cherry. Your sense of design and colours are wonderful. Lucky people to get those containers.
Thanks Catherine. I hope my friends enjoyed them as much as I did planting them up. Hope all is well with you and wishing you a lovely and meaningful holiday season.
Always a treat to see your fabulous creations, Cherry. Love the black pots - so elegant. It's all gorgeous! Thanks. and Merry Christmas.
Thanks Shirley. Wishing you and your loved ones a special and meaningful holiday season!
Great designs, Cherry. You have lucky friends:)
Thank you Linda. I am lucky to have them as my friends as well.
I so envy people like you with so much talent. Beautiful work.
Thanks for your compliment treasuremom. I'm sure you can make all these wonderful plantcrafts as well. I'm not sure if you've heard of Laura of Garden Answer but here is a wonderful tutorial on how to make a fresh holiday wreath:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnG4b1eC5Ck
Below ZERO, OMG!! I don't know how you do it. We have had 28 degrees here most nites this week and I am always cold! I just love your creativity Cherry and it seems like you probably have a lot of fun creating your creations. That's what it's all about, right. Really beautiful and Happy Holidays to you Cherry.
Thanks Linda. Below zero is in Celsius not Fahrenheit which is what I believe you are thinking. We're in the same hardiness zone right? Hope all is well with you. I've finally begun my fresh wreathmaking for the holidays (yesterday) and am having a lot of fun. I guess plantcrafting is the next best thing to gardening this season. It's a joy to have a part of the garden indoors. Wishing you the most wonderful holiday season ever!
Oh, of course. What was I thinking Cherry, I know you are in BC - guess I wasn't thinking! Your weather is very similar to ours, only being on an Island we don't get much snow like our outer neighbors. My sister lives in Surrey and they did get quite s snow fall. Enjoy the winter and your plantcrafting, great fun! and happy holiday times to you too.
Cherry I love your containers any time of the year and the wreaths are just beautiful.the use of eucalyptus and the flowering shrub is really lovely.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous New a Year. Best wishes to you all.
Same to you Eddi! Thank you.
Loved your wreaths and your pots. Unfortunately, the natural wreaths don't stand a chance here in the deep South where our daily temperatures can range from full sun and highs of low 70's and low 40 lows (yes even in December, January and February) followed by overcast skies and teens, 20's and low 30's. I love the natural greens but never use them because of the Georgia temperature flux.
Thank you. I'm so sorry to hear that you can't use natural wreaths in your area. Perhaps twig, nuts in their shell, pinecones or moss wreaths may do well in your area? Wishing you and your family the happiest of holidays!
Hi Cherry! Beautiful as always! Iam a little late in checking this blog today and what to my wandering eyes should appear... some beautiful wreaths made by Cherry our dear! You are always so creative with the different greens and things! Have a wonderful Christmas!
Thanks Jeanne. Wondering what festive plant and garden crafts you're up to lately?
Dear Cherry,
I didn't get to to see this post until now and ohhhhhh! How beautiful! What are the blue berries on the first wreath? It's the most beautiful wreath I have ever seen. Ever! Thank you so much for posting!
Thanks very much Rhonda. The blue berries are viburnum berries - another wonderful reason to grow them. Wishing you and your family the best that the holiday season has to offer/
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